Tuscaloosa Awards $44 Million Contract to Widen Road Under Downtown Trestle Bridge

The city of Tuscaloosa has awarded a contract for a $44 million, three-year project to open up the road beneath the historic wooden railroad trestle bridge downtown.

The iconic setting near the intersection of Jack Warner Parkway and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard is just west of the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater and the Saban Center construction site, and the bridge spans the Black Warrior River to downtown Northport.

The daunting task of widening the bottlenecked Jack Warner Parkway beneath the trestle has long been a priority for Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, who said it will dramatically improve access to underdeveloped West Tuscaloosa and allow for the expansion of the River District.

In a Tuesday meeting of the city's Projects Committee, Maddox said he first discussed the project soon after he was first elected in 2005 and has been trying to make it happen since then.

Progress has been slowed by drawn-out negotiations with the railroad companies that own the wooden and steel trestle bridge, which is over 125 years old and the longest and best-known example of its antiquated engineering in the country.

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"Every time we would make progress, there would be a change in ownership or a merger or a pandemic or a combination thereof. It's also a very complicated project," Maddox said. "You're talking about two trestles, a main line, and a spur line that have to remain active. It is the oldest operating wooden train trestle in the United States. So this is a project that comes with a lot of complications."

The mayor said he feels those cons are outweighed by the positives, justifying the job's $44 million price tag.

"This will open up initially 100-plus acres of developable properties in West Tuscaloosa, which I think will be exciting. There are not many properties like that in Tuscaloosa. We don't have tens of acres within our city limits. Maybe outside the city limits where we'd be able to annex, but not inside," Maddox said. "Beyond the transportation piece, I think it's a psychological thing. Right now, there's a psychological feeling that when you hit the Amphitheater, you've kind of hit the end of the road."

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After all the delays, work on the project may finally begin this summer.

"We have received the bids on what I believe will be one of the most consequential infrastructure projects in our city's history," Maddox said. "When I was sworn in on October 3rd, 2005, I pledged to the people of West Tuscaloosa to reverse decades of neglect. I believe that over the last 20 years, we have certainly done that through our investments, but this project, to me, signifies that continued commitment in a way that is tangible and will make a difference for decades to come."

City engineer Mike Garidener said the project is the third and final phase of improvements to Jack Warner Parkway, which began almost 10 years ago.

The winning bid is a $44 million contract with Scott Bridge Co., Incorporated, a family-owned business headquartered in Opelika.

By removing some of the old wooden supports and replacing them with modern bracing at wider intervals, the contractors will aim to improve and expand the road there, allowing larger trucks and vehicles to use Jack Warner Parkway to access West Tuscaloosa.

Part of the project will also be to connect the Western Riverwalk to the main Tuscaloosa Riverwalk's current terminus near the Amphitheater, linking the two into a five-plus-mile walking track with lighting and security cameras throughout. Eventually, the other side of the riverwalk will connect to the eight-lane Woolsey Finnell Bridge and link to the Northern Riverwalk on the other side of the Black Warrior.

Gardiner said the trestle project will take about 3 years and is expected to end sometime in 2029. Mayor Maddox said the city will use the same regular communication methods as they did for the construction of McWrights Ferry Road.

After discussing the project during Tuesday committee meetings, the council "doubled up" and voted to approve it the same night rather than introducing the contract award and voting on it at their next meeting.

The council will not meet next Tuesday because the city is holding a special election to fill the currently vacant North Tuscaloosa District 3 council seat, and they said they preferred to award the contract on Tuesday rather than wait until April 21st for a vote.

Work is expected to begin this summer, and the city is targeting a completion in Early Spring 2029.

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